Chateau L'Eglise Clinet

Previously overlooked due to its small size and production, L’Eglise-Clinet has been one of the more overlooked châteaux in Pomerol, but in recent years its vintages have ranked among the very best offerings in its appellation and it is now getting more of the attention it deserves. Denis Durantou has been on a hot streak since 1998, producing a conveyor belt of great vintages that consistently exhibit First Growth quality.

Whilst growth in the Left Bank big-hitters has slowed over the last year, Right Bank estates are picking up the slack, with markets displaying a gradual shifting of emphasis from Left bank to Right bank in general. With the consistently strong performances of estates in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion it seems that a longer-term shift is likely and with limited release sizes granting it a crucial air of exclusivity and current track record for quality, L’Eglise-Clinet could well be the one to lead the Right Bank resurgence.

In all of Pomerol, the only other wine with a similarly ‘perfect’ appraisal is Petrus, which trades at about 8-10 times the price.

L'Eglise Clinet actually ranks as one of the highest average scoring wines in the whole of Bordeaux. Denis Durantou is a hugely talented winemaker who commands significant repsect within the market and no matter the critic - his wines are consistently highly rated year after year.

L’Eglise Clinet was born out of a partnership between the Mauleon Rouchut family of Clos L’Eglise and the Constant family, owners of Chateau Clinet; down to this intermarriage their wine was known as Clos L’Eglise Clinet up until the 1950s. Throughout its history, the property remained within the grasp of the Rouchut descendents, the Durantou family. The first Durantou, Jacques, had very little interest in viticulture and the fact is hardly surprising considering that at the time there was more money to be made in farming.

Instead of concerning themselves with the vinyards, the Durantous arranged that Pierre Lasserre should manage the vineyards and in return receive 50% of the proceeds- an arrangement that held into the 1980s, when the grandson and current owner, Denis, took over. Thankfully this Durantou has a far greater interest in viticulture having studied oenology at the University of Bordeaux. At the helm, Denis Durantou led this bijoux estate into the modern age and quality has been rising steadily ever since.

Photo Credit: denis-durantou.com | Stéphane Klein